Captain and Pilot, Minnesota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, USAF Auxiliary

Awards:

Top Doctor, Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine, 2016

Outside interests:

Dr. Vitas is a military aviation enthusiast, private pilot, and a bluegrass guitar player. He and his wife, Jewel, have two sons: Joey, a graduate of The Berklee College of Music (Boston), and Danny, a graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Why did you choose to become a surgeon?

I am very interested in direct patient care and clinical medicine. Natural technical skills in hand-eye coordination, combined with close patient contact, interest in procedural, well-defined curriculum, and a strong desire to teach led me directly to surgery.

What’s special about Specialists in General Surgery?

In addition to skilled, thoughtful and caring partners, who are most importantly true human beings, SGS has absolute top-notch physician assistants, and managerial and office staff. As surgeons, we have excellent support at all times, with patient care the absolute common primary objective.